SANTEE  Santee Santas, the East County charity that helps make life a little brighter for low income Santee seniors and needy families with young children, is having a fundraiser this weekend at Padre Dam's Santee Lakes.

To celebrate 60 years of helping Santee residents, the group is holding Luau at the Lakes from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28 near the gazebo at Lake 1.

Santee Santas Board President Sam Modica spoke before the Santee City Council at Wednesday's short meeting to remind the city about the group's first event of this type.

Modica also reminded council members that the last time he spoke to them publicly was in February during the council's look at what to do with Community Development Block Grant funds.

Modica surprised the City Council when he took back Santee Santas’ $10,000 request and asked that it be given to the other groups looking for funds, including Home of Guiding Hands, Crisis House, the Cameron Family YMCA, Santee Boys & Girls Club and the Santee Food Bank. He told the council that the group had done well, and so no outside help from the city was needed.

Santee Santas last year provided assistance to 211 Santee families in crisis through its holiday program and emergency fund. It also doled out toys to nearly 400 Santee children at Christmas and gave out hundreds of poinsettias to low-income seniors at mobile-home parks throughout the city. In 2011, it helped 246 Santee families.

"We have a lot of low income seniors and low income families in the city of Santee," he said. "For many of them, looking forward to a holiday meal and toys at Christmas is all they have. We get thank you cards after the holidays. People are so grateful. We were able to extend that holiday spirit to this summer... We agreed to provide gift cards this summer for families (who were assisted in) 2012... We sent $25 gift cards for Food 4 Less to one- and two-people families and for families with children, we were able to provide $50 Walmart gift cards. We gave them away when we knew school supplies were coming out so that families could get them, and clothes, whatever the kids needed."

Saturday's event will have a Hawaiian theme and include Polynesian dancers. Cost is $40 a person, $25 for children 12 and under with kids 3 years of age and under free.

The Santee Santas’ net profit last year was $18,000 and Modica said, "We're carrying about a $40,000 budget." He said that 95 percent of what is donated goes to the community.